Interactive toy

ABSTRACT

Disclosed is an interactive toy for providing an audible response to an initial audio signal. The toy is comprised of a housing, a microphone, a controller having speech circuitry and Mask ROM memory, and a speaker. The housing can be in the form of a human figurine and the toy can include an on/off switch which allows for the energizing or de-energizing of the toy. The controller is preferably a microprocessor. In addition, the controller is operable to run in different modes, for example a demo mode and a play mode. The microphone can receive an audio signal from a user and relay the audio signal to the controller. The audio signal can be in the form of a verbal question provided by the user. The controller receives the audio signal from the microphone and selects a message stored in the Mask ROM memory and provides the message to the speaker. The speaker transmits the message to the user in an audible form.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationSer. No. 60/774,388 filed Feb. 17, 2006, which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to an interactive toy. Morespecifically, the invention relates to an interactive toy that respondsto questions by randomly selecting one of a set of pre-programmedanswers.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A toy that simulates interaction with an individual by appearing torespond to input from the individual can be desirable to children andadults. In addition, toys that provide an answer to a question proposedto the toy have been found to be entertaining to users. For example, thewell known “Crystal 8 Ball” that allows a user to shake the toy and waitfor an answer on the side of a cube to become visible through atransparent window is commonly known. However, a relatively inexpensivetoy that responds to a verbal question by a user with an audible answeris not currently available. Such a toy, being entertaining for anindividual and/or a group of individuals, would be desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Disclosed is an interactive toy for providing an audible response to aninitial audio signal. The toy is comprised of a housing, a microphone, acontroller having speech circuitry and Mask ROM memory, and a speaker.The housing can be in the form of a human figurine and the toy caninclude an on/off switch which allows for the energizing orde-energizing of the toy. The controller is preferably a microprocessor.In addition, the controller is operable to run in different modes, forexample a demo mode and a play mode. The microphone can receive an audiosignal from a user and relay the audio signal to the controller. Theaudio signal can be in the form of a verbal question provided by theuser. The controller receives the audio signal from the microphone andselects a message stored in the Mask ROM memory and provides the messageto the speaker. The speaker transmits the message to the user in anaudible form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A clear understanding of the present invention can be obtained byreferring to the included drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view and a side elevational view of onepreferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of yet another preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of still another preferred embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of the circuitry for the toy of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a miniaturized pod of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective internal view of a miniaturized pod; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective internal view of a miniaturized pod.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises an interactive toy operable to providean audible response to an initial audio signal. As such, the presentinvention has utility as an entertainment device for an individualand/or a group of individuals.

The interactive toy of the present invention includes a housing, withthe housing containing a microphone, a controller having speechcircuitry and Mask ROM memory, and a speaker. The housing can be in theform of a human figurine and take several forms.

Turning to FIG. 1, one embodiment of the present invention in the formof a fortune teller with the name Madame Seemore is illustrated. Theembodiment 50 shown in FIG. 1 includes a housing 40, an on/off switch52, a name tag 54 and a base 56. Other embodiments of the presentinvention are shown in FIGS. 2-4 wherein the housing takes the form of apersonal therapist, teen advisors and a business advisor, respectively.As shown in these figures, various external forms limited only by theimagination of the inventor, fall within the scope of the presentinvention. Furthermore, additional features to the housing 40 can beincluded, such as the booth 42 shown in FIG. 1, the couch 44 shown inFIG. 2, the additional human figurine 46 shown in FIG. 3 and the watercooler 48 shown in FIG. 4

Each of the examples shown in FIGS. 1-4 are operable to provide a numberof randomly selected answers to an audio signal afforded by amicrophone, controller and speaker as illustrated in the circuit diagramshown in FIG. 5. The microphone 16 is connected to the speech circuitry12 and the microprocessor 14. The Mask ROM memory is included withinand/or is onboard the microprocessor 14. Upon receiving an audio signal,for example in the form of a verbal statement and/or question, themicrophone 16 receives said signal and transmits said signal to themicroprocessor 14. In operation, a microcontroller unit monitors theoutput of the microphone 16 and upon receiving an audio signal ofsufficient strength, affords for the microprocessor 14 to read a datafile stored therein. The data file that is read by the microprocessor 14is selected randomly. The selected data file is then sent to adigital/analog converter within the speech circuitry 12 and convertedinto sound using the speaker 18. In this manner, an interactive toyprovides a randomly selected answer to a question posed by a user. It isappreciated that the microphone 16 and speaker 18 can be eitherphysically connected or wirelessly connected to the speech circuitry andmicroprocessor 14.

The Mask ROM memory of the present invention can contain a number ofdifferent answers selected by, for example a toy manufacturer. Forillustrative purposes only and in no way limiting the scope of theinvention, the inventive toy shown in FIG. 3, that is the teen advisorscalled “The Lemons”, can be programmed to be voice activated and audiblyrespond to a question with a randomly selected answer from the followinggroup of answers:

That's a no brainer! Rules are rules! You've got to be kidding! Don'task that again! What do you think? Trust our own judgment! You know thedrill! You live in this house! You know the answer! Case closed!

Similarly, the set of answers for the fortune teller (Madam Seemore),the personal therapist (Dr. Fulbright) and the business adviser (BuddyKool) are of a nature to provide a suitable answer to questions whichmight be asked of such persons. For example, the personal therapist canrespond with such phrases as “Uh huh . . . please continue” and “I see .. . how does this make you feel?”, etc., thereby continuouslyencouraging the speaker to talk. The business advisor, as shown in FIG.4, can respond to potential business questions with answers like “I knowall about that, I heard it from legal” and “That's easy of course, Iheard it from legal”. The list of randomly selected answers can includeany number of answers and responses limited only by the imagination ofthe manufacturer,

In one embodiment of the present invention, the interactive toy includesan on/off switch 52 which energizes or de-energizes the toy 50.Preferably, the on/off switch is in the form of a push button that whendepressed energizes the toy 50 from a “sleep” mode into an “awake” mode.In addition, the toy is operable to run in different awake modes, forexample a demo mode when the toy is on sale in a retail store and a playmode when the toy has been purchased. In demo mode, the audiosensitivity of the toy can be reduced to prevent triggering by outsidesounds in the retail store. Furthermore, the interactive operation ofthe toy can be limited to, for example, one minute before returningautomatically to a sleep mode. Instructions can be provided to the userto change the switch to a play mode position once the toy is purchased.

When the toy is displayed on a shelf in a retail store or when purchasedand being used by the owner, the toy senses a user's speech as an audiosignal above a predetermined level for more than a pre-set time period,for example, 1.5 seconds. After the audio input is completed andfollowed by a pre-defined wait period, for example 2 seconds of silence,the toy senses that the user has finished the question. After the waitperiod, the toy assembles a message/answer and responds to the user. Itis appreciated that one mode of operation by the toy 50 can include: (1)the microphone 16 detecting the speech as audio and transmiting theaudio signal to the speech circuitry 12; (2) the speech circuitryreceiving the audio signal in analog form and transmiting the signal tothe microprocessor 14 after converting said signal into digital formusing an analog to digital converter; (3) the microprocessor 14receiving the digital signal and upon detecting the pre-defined waitperiod selecting a data file containing an answer that is stored in theMask ROM memory and transmitting the data file in digital form to thespeech circuitry 12; (4) the speech circuitry receiving the data fileand transmitting said file to the speaker 18 after converting the datainto an audio signal using a digital to analog converter; and (5) thespeaker 18 receiving the data file in analog form and transmitting themessage in audible form, thereby producing sound that is recognized asan answer by the user.

Another embodiment of the present invention affords for the interactivetoy to provide a response by choosing a message which includes a randomselection of two statements. A first statement can include an openingstatement and a second statement can include a closing statement. Forexample, Table 1 illustrates a number of messages that can betransmitted in audible form by the speaker of the interactive toy. Thestatements or messages under “DEMO Mode—Start ups” provide possiblechoices for the interactive toy, in the form of “Madam Seemore,” totransmit when the on/off switch 52 is activated by a user examining thetoy in a retail store. The messages shown under “PLAY Mode—Start ups”shows an alternative set of messages that can be played by the toy oncepurchased.

TABLE 1 DEMO Mode - Start ups 1. The clouds are clearing. All theanswers will be revealed. Go ahead, ask me about your heart's desire. 2.I can see into your future and will guide you. Go ahead . . . Try Me.Ask me what's on your mind. PLAY Mode - Start ups 3. The wisdom of agesknows all. Ask me what's on your mind. 4. You've come to one who knows.What do you need? 5. The crystal ball has the answer. Ask me anything.Part A Openers 6. The spirits say . . . 7. It's becoming clear . . . 8.I'm thinking it over . . . 9. Psychic energy suggests . . . 10.Excellent question! 11. My crystal ball says . . . 12. The wisdom of theages tells me . . . 13. Can you keep a secret? Part B Closers 14.Absolutely! Positively! Definitely! 15. It's not in the stars 16. It's apossibility! 17. Ask me again later! 18. Highly doubtful! ! 19. No! 20.It will be as you wish 21. Don't count on it 22. Soon you will findsatisfaction 23. Maybe in the Future 24. Yes! (laugh) 25. It's notclear. Ask another question.

The messages shown under Part A Openers represent eight introductorystatements that can be transmitted in audible form by the interactivetoy shown in FIG. 1, followed by twelve statements shown under Part BClosers. Turing to Table 2, a variety of randomly

TABLE 2 Group 1: Numbers 1–10 13 + 14  7 + 24  6 + 21  9 + 14 10 + 1711 + 16  8 + 20 13 + 25  6 + 23 12 + 15 Group 2: Numbers 11–20 13 + 24 8 + 16  9 + 23  6 + 18  7 + 22 11 + 19 12 + 24  8 + 15 12 + 16 10 + 23Group 3: Numbers 21–30  9 + 20  7 + 17 12 + 21  6 + 19 11 + 18  9 + 15 8 + 14 12 + 17 11 + 20  9 + 25 Group 4: Numbers 31–40  6 + 16 10 + 1813 + 21  9 + 17  7 + 20  8 + 18 10 + 24 12 + 20 11 + 15  6 + 22 Group 5:Numbers 41–50  9 + 21  8 + 23 11 + 14  7 + 15 12 + 25  8 + 21  7 + 14 9 + 24 13 + 16  6 + 25 Group 6: Numbers 51–60 12 + 19 10 + 14  7 + 1613 + 22  9 + 16 12 + 23  6 + 17  7 + 19 10 + 15  8 + 22 Group 7: Numbers61–70 11 + 25  9 + 18  7 + 25 12 + 14 13 + 17 10 + 22 11 + 24 13 + 1910 + 16  6 + 24 Group 8: Numbers 71–80  8 + 25 11 + 23 10 + 21  7 + 21 8 + 17  6 + 14 13 + 18 11 + 22 10 + 20 13 + 23 Group 9: Numbers 81–90 6 + 20 11 + 21  9 + 19 11 + 17 10 + 25  8 + 19 12 + 18 13 + 20 12 + 22 7 + 23 Group 10: Numbers 91–96  9 + 22 10 + 19  6 + 15  8 + 24  7 + 1813 + 15selected Part A opening statements and Part B closing statements areillustrated by the numbers under each group. For example, looking atGroup 4 within Table 2 , a response to a question would consist of thenumber 6 Part A opening statement plus the number 16 Part B closingstatement. That is, the interactive toy illustrated in FIG. 1 canrespond to a question with the statement “The spirits say . . . It's apossibility!” In response to a follow-up question, the interactive toycan again randomly select another selection from Table 2 , or in thealternative select the next choice in that particular group, for exampleGroup 4, number 10 Part A opening statement followed by number 18 Part Bclosing statement. In this manner, ninety-six random selections can beprovided by the interactive toy in response to an audio signal in theform of a question by a user. It is appreciated that the number andcontent of the Part A opening statements and Part B closing statementscan be adjusted and still fall within the present invention.

A different embodiment of the present invention affords for therecording of a user's own responses to be played back in response to anaudio signal. This embodiment can record a user's response to anonvolatile flash digital memory. In addition, this embodiment caninclude pre-recorded voice prompts to aid the user in the recordingprocess and include a multitude of different voice categories. Forexample, one voice category could be pre-recorded answers provided bythe manufacturer. A second voice category could be responses and/oranswers recorded by the user. A third voice category could include acombination of the pre-recorded messages provided by the manufacturerand the recorded messages of the user. In this manner, an interactivetoy that provides entertainment for an individual and/or a group ofindividuals is provided.

Yet another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated as aminiature pod 100 shown in FIGS. 6-8. The miniature pod 100 includes atop cover 102 and a bottom cover 104. The top cover 102 includes abattery cover 110, said cover operable to be removed in order to allowreplacement of at least one battery 130. Within the interior of the pod100 a speaker 112, the least one battery 130 and an integrated circuitboard 140 can be included. The integrated circuit board 140 includesspeech circuitry and a microprocessor with Mask ROM memory. A connectorfor a microphone 120 and a connector for an on/off switch (not shown)can be included. In the alternative, a microphone and an on/off switchcan be included as part of the pod 100. The pod 100 affords for any toyor housing to be used as a toy that verbally responds to an audiblesignal. For example, the pod 100 can be inserted in a toy doll, a box,attached to a pet collar and the like. The pod 100 can includedpre-stored messages to be transmitted in audible form to a user and/orafford for the user to record their own messages as disclosed above.

It is appreciated that the embodiments disclosed in the presentinvention preferably operate on battery power. It is also appreciatedthat the toy 50 and pod 100 disclosed above afford for said toy and saidpod to enter into the sleep mode when there are no questions asked for apre-determined amount of time and subsequently awaits for the nextbutton press.

The foregoing drawings, discussion and description are illustrative ofspecific embodiments of the present invention, but they are not meant tobe limitations upon the practice thereof. Numerous modifications andvariations of the invention will be readily apparent to those of skillin the art in view of the teaching presented herein. It is the followingclaims, including all equivalents, which define the scope of theinvention.

1. An interactive toy comprising: a housing; a microphone; a controllerhaving speech circuitry and Mask ROM memory; and a speaker; said toyoperable to provide an audible response to an initial audio signal. 2.The invention of claim 1, wherein said housing is in the form of a humanfigurine.
 3. The invention of claim 1, further comprising an on/offswitch, said switch operable to energize or de-energize said interactivetoy.
 4. The invention of claim 1, wherein said controller is amicroprocessor.
 5. The invention of claim 1, wherein said digitalcontroller is operable to operate in different modes, said modesselected from the group consisting of a demo mode and a play mode. 6.The invention of claim 1, wherein said microphone is operable to receivean audio signal from a user and relay said audio signal to said digitalcontroller.
 7. The invention of claim 6, wherein said audio signal is inthe form of a verbal question provided by a user.
 8. The invention ofclaim 6, wherein said digital controller is operable to receive saidaudio signal from said microphone, select a message stored in said MaskROM memory and provide said message to said speaker.
 9. The invention ofclaim 8, wherein said message comprises two statements, one statementbeing an opening statement and one statement being a closing statement.10. The invention of claim 8, wherein said speaker is operable toreceive said message from said controller and transmit said message inaudible form.
 11. An interactive toy comprising: a housing, said housingin the form of a human figurine; a microphone, said microphone operableto receive an audio signal from a user and relay said audio signal to acontroller; said controller having speech circuitry, Mask ROM memory andoperable to receive said audio signal from said microphone, select amessage stored in said Mask ROM memory and provide said message to aspeaker; and said speaker operable to receive said message from saidcontroller and transmit said message in audible form to said user. 12.The invention of claim 11, further comprising an on/off switch, saidswitch operable to energize or de-energize said interactive toy.
 13. Theinvention of claim 11, wherein said controller is a microprocessor. 14.The invention of claim 11, wherein said audio signal is in the form of averbal question provided by a user.
 15. The invention of claim 11,wherein said message comprises two statements, one statement being anopening statement and one statement being a closing statement.
 16. Aminiaturized pod comprising: a housing; a speaker, said speaker at leastpartially within said housing; a microphone connector operable toconnect to a microphone; an on/off switch connector operable to connectto an on/off switch; a battery receptacle operable to accept at leastone battery; and a controller; said pod operable to provide an audibleresponse to an initial audio signal.
 17. The invention of claim 16,wherein said initial audio signal is received by said pod through amicrophone connected to said microphone connector.
 18. The invention ofclaim 17, wherein said controller selects a message stored within saidcontroller in response to receiving said audio signal.
 19. The inventionof claim 18, wherein said speaker transmits said message selected bysaid controller in inaudible form.